Career Jealousy Peaks in Your 30s, Study Shows

Ever go green with envy? You're not alone: Every red-blooded American is prone to jealousy when a co-worker slam-dunks a raise. A recent study took a look at just what makes us jealous and when, over what, and for how long that feeling can last. The study, "Envy Across Adulthood: The What and the Who" published in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology, analyzed 2,000 men and women ages 18 to 80. First, the researchers established, our jealousy does know bounds—because while we often find ourselves jealous of both people we know and love and complete strangers, we tend to direct our envy at the same sex and those of the same age. Then, the researchers drilled down just what turns us into little green monsters. In our 20s, they found, we're most jealous of our peers' looks, their social status, and their happy relationships. These go-green triggers, however, subside as time goes on—by the time we reach 50, for example, few of us will worry about how often our friends are having sex or who has the best, most natural-looking highlights. In our 30s, the study shows, we most envy others' career and financial successes—think: feeling as

Ever go green with envy? You're not alone: Every red-blooded American is prone to jealousy when a co-worker slam-dunks a raise. A recent study took a look at just what makes us jealous and when, over what, and for how long that feeling can last.

The study, "Envy Across Adulthood: The What and the Who" published in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology, analyzed 2,000 men and women ages 18 to 80. First, the researchers established, our jealousy does know bounds—because while we often find ourselves jealous of both people we know and love and complete strangers, we tend to direct our envy at the same sex and those of the same age.

Then, the researchers drilled down just what turns us into little green monsters. In our 20s, they found, we're most jealous of our peers' looks, their social status, and their happy relationships. These go-green triggers, however, subside as time goes on—by the time we reach 50, for example, few of us will worry about how often our friends are having sex or who has the best, most natural-looking highlights.

In our 30s, the study shows, we most envy others' career and financial successes—think: feeling as if we'll never climb the corporate ladder as we watch our best friend accept a promotion, or explaining a late rent payment to our landlord as our sisters brag about their bursting savings accounts. And those feelings won't ebb, the researchers say, until we hit our 50s or even retirement. "Although career success is important throughout adulthood," the study states, "its importance peaks at midlife and then perhaps declines as people retire or look ahead toward retirement."

How old are you, and what are you most jealous of? Why do these things make you go green?